Shaw Cowart is a trusted personal injury law firm serving Austin and Central Texas. Their legal team has extensive experience handling car accident cases, fighting to secure compensation that reflects the full extent of their clients’ medical bills, property damage, and pain and suffering.
Specialization: Personal injury lawyers, car accidents, truck accidents, wrongful death, 18-wheeler accidents.
Why choose them? Shaw Cowart offers a complimentary initial consultation, and their attorneys are recognized for aggressively advocating for their clients’ rights throughout the Austin area.
Austin Hit-and-Run Car Accident Lawyers – Your Options When the Driver Fled
A hit-and-run car accident in Austin is a maddening experience. You have been struck by another driver who sped away, leaving you injured and without a clear path to compensation. But a hit-and-run does not mean your case is hopeless. Multiple avenues for recovery exist, and experienced legal guidance can make the difference between getting nothing and getting the money you need to cover your medical bills and lost income. Austin car accident lawyers at Shaw Cowart have helped numerous hit-and-run victims navigate these challenging situations and recover fair compensation.
Hit-and-run accidents are alarmingly common in Austin. Drivers flee for many reasons — no insurance, a suspended license, outstanding warrants, intoxication, or sheer panic. Whatever the reason, leaving the scene of an injury accident is a felony in Texas, and the victims deserve both justice and financial recovery. Experienced car accident attorneys in Austin at Shaw Cowart pursue every available strategy to identify the fleeing driver and, when that is not possible, help their clients access alternative sources of compensation through their own insurance coverage.
If you have been hurt in an Austin hit-and-run, do not assume you are out of options. Car accident lawyers at Shaw Cowart will evaluate your situation during a free consultation and find the best path forward.
What to Do Immediately After an Austin Hit-and-Run
Try to gather as much information as possible about the fleeing vehicle. Note the make, model, color, and license plate — even a partial plate helps. Pay attention to the direction the vehicle fled and any distinguishing features. Ask witnesses what they saw and get their contact information. Call 911 immediately. Look around for surveillance cameras on nearby businesses, traffic intersections, residential doorbell cameras, and parking garages that may have recorded the incident.
Tracking Down the Hit-and-Run Driver
Law enforcement will investigate, but their resources are limited. Your lawyers can supplement the police effort by retaining private investigators to canvass for camera footage, interview witnesses, and follow leads. Partial license plates can sometimes be traced through database searches. Body shops may reveal a vehicle matching the description that came in for repairs after the crash. If the driver is identified, you pursue a standard personal injury claim against them and their insurance coverage.
Uninsured Motorist Coverage – Your Primary Safety Net
When the hit-and-run driver is never found, your own uninsured motorist coverage becomes your most important recovery source. Texas insurers are required to offer UM/UIM coverage with every auto policy. If you carry this coverage, it pays for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages — stepping in to provide compensation the fleeing driver’s insurance would have covered.
Filing a UM claim against your own insurer is not automatic. Your insurance company approaches UM claims with the same cost-cutting mentality they use on any claim. They scrutinize your injuries, challenge treatment necessity, and try to settle cheaply. Having experienced car accident lawyers handle your UM claim ensures you receive the full benefits your policy provides.
Personal Injury Protection Benefits
If your auto policy includes PIP coverage, it provides additional compensation after a hit-and-run. PIP pays medical expenses and lost wages regardless of fault, up to your policy limits. These benefits are available immediately and help cover initial treatment costs while your lawyers work on identifying the driver or pursuing your UM claim.
Criminal Penalties for Hit-and-Run Drivers
Leaving the scene of an injury accident is a third-degree felony in Texas, carrying two to ten years in prison and fines up to 10,000 dollars. If the crash caused death, the charge escalates to a second-degree felony with up to twenty years. While criminal prosecution does not directly compensate you, a conviction strengthens your civil case and evidence from the criminal investigation may support your claim.
Shaw Cowart Helps Austin Hit-and-Run Victims Recover
A hit-and-run can leave you feeling powerless, but Shaw Cowart’s Austin car accident lawyers know how to fight for you. Whether the driver is ultimately identified or not, their team pursues every available avenue of compensation. Contact Shaw Cowart today for a free consultation.
